Notes from the Supervisor  - Volume 3   May, 2021​

As all of us are aware, the high-water level and erosion along Lake Michigan has caused a great deal of concern for homeowners as well as road and infrastructure issues for everyone along the coast.  Over the past three years, Township Officials and many residents have attended meetings where results of studies and research were presented.  Recently, Casco participated with South Haven City and South Haven Township in a Planning for a Resilient Coastal Community exercise.  The presentations emphasized the value in developing a coordinated approach to mitigate the effects of high water and also to recognize that high water is reoccurring.  The new findings raised some questions about some of the existing methods of revetment and the unintended consequences that the installations have created. If you are not familiar with remediation and want to learn about a few options, I have listed a couple of references that provide definitions of some soft and hard options at the bottom – these were written by a vendor so I ask that you ignore any bias that may be in the solution.

During the April and May Regular meeting of the Board, the issue of revetment was discussed.  Some residents expressed their objections to hard armoring that had been installed and requested the Board take actions to prohibit additional installations.  Currently, the Township is not involved in permitting as this is the function of EGLE and the Army Corp of Engineers.  At the May meeting, the Board decided to create a committee made up of members from the Township Board, Planning Commission, Parks Committee, and the Community at Large.  The Committee was charged to review the issue and develop a recommendation for the Township for Board consideration.

Meetings will be noticed and will be open to the public.  The Board is looking for members of the public that would like to serve on the committee.  The review is expected to start this summer and take less than a year to complete.  Individuals would need to have a flexible schedule and would be available to meet in person.  If you are interested please email Allan Overhiser: supervisor@cascotownship.org

A couple of links on coastal erosion and hard/soft revetment options:

https://www.superiorgroundcover.com/shoreline-erosion-a-complete-guide/

https://www.superiorgroundcover.com/sand-for-lake-michigan-erosion-control/